Spaghetti With A Heavy Meat Sauce

Spaghetti With a Heavy Meat Sauce

Here is yet another version of spaghetti with meat sauce. I don’t know if I’ve ever made two batches exactly the same. Spaghetti with meat sauce is always satisfying for me any time of the year, but especially as the weather gets colder. It is always a crowd pleaser when you have people over for dinner.

There is no limit to the different sauces you can create with some good Italian sausage and a can of ground tomatoes. Heck, you can simply fry the sausage in some olive oil, add some garlic and basil and then the tomatoes and just let it simmer twenty minutes. If you do that you would have a great pasta dish. But, you see, I just went to the trouble to write out this version so you should feel obliged to make this a few times. 

olive oil
4 - 5 cloves of garlic smashed and minced

2 onions - sliced thin
1 red bell pepper - sliced thin

1 green bell pepper - sliced thin
1 hot peppers - sliced thin
1/2 lb. pancetta - sliced into thin little pieces 

2 lb. Italian sausage - sliced into chunks
1/2 tsp. savory
1 tsp. oregano
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
1 lb. spaghetti

Preparation

Heat your braising pan over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add the onions, peppers and the pancetta and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Now add the garlic and stir.

Add the savory, oregano, red wine. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for about 20 minutes, uncovered to reduce. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir and taste the sauce for salt and pepper. 

You know what? I just decided that you should add a little Tabasco in too, why not! Turn the heat off and cover the pan.

Put your pasta water on to boil (Look, I know I didnʼt list the water in the ingredient list but come on, you have to cook the spaghetti. What, are you really going to pour the sauce over the dry spaghetti sticks? Just cook your spaghetti and quit complaining).

Serving

Serve the spaghetti smothered in the sauce along with a good tossed salad, a steaming bowl of soup and crusty bread - toasted and rubbed with garlic and doused in good olive oil. Now add a bottle of Nero dʼ Avola wine from Sicily and you can call it dinner.